Iraqi forces liberate several villages in Salahuddin Province
Iraqi forces have liberated several villages near the central city of Samarra in Salahuddin Province from the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.
Iraqi military sources said on Thursday that troops backed by volunteer forces freed the villages of Tuol al-Khoder, al-Remelat and al-Kaban in the volatile region.
Major General Imad al-Zuheiri, the commander of Samarra operations, said the forces also seized control of villages along the Tigris River, near Mutassim District.
The latest gains for the Iraqi army come after the country’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, warned of a looming ISIL threat against the holy city of Samarra.
Iraq’s army, backed by volunteer forces, is gaining more ground in the battle against ISIL.
On Wednesday, Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters regained control of a large area in the north following a military operation against ISIL.
The offensive took place near the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, Erbil.
ISIL launched an offensive in Iraq in June and took control of the country’s second-largest city, Mosul, before sweeping through parts of the country’s Sunni Arab heartland.
